Flatcar



A. F. KLAS! N G FLATCAR Filed April 29, 1935 @Wff Patented May 26, 1936UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application April 29,

2 Claims.

Flat cars as hitherto provided present the objection of being unprovidedwith any means. extending above the deck of the car which may be graspedby the trainmen in the. mounting of the deck or in the setting of thebrakesl The lack of such means renders difficult, if not dangerous, themounting of the deck by the trainmen` and the setting of the brakes withone hand while holding onto the car with the other, the usual grab loiron provided on at cars adjacent the steps thereof being located at theelevation of the decks, and thus at too low an elevation to besatisfactory.

While the grab iron extending above the deck 1.3 to a suitable heightadjacent the step would overcome the objections above noted, such hasnot hitherto been provided inasmuch as such a grab iron would presentobstruction to the loading and unloading of the car and would thus bethoroughly impracticable.

My object is to provide for the equipping of a flat car with a grab irondevice which may be moved at will into and out of a position in which.it projects above the deck of the car into operative position, thuspermitting it to be removed from a position in which it would obstructthe free loading and unloading of the car.

Referring to the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of one end of a flat car showing itas equipped with a grab iron in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken at the line 3 3 on Fig. 1 and viewed in thedirection of the arrow showing by full lines the grab iron in raised,operative, position and by dotted lines the position it occupies whenlowered and freeing the car of obstruction to the loading and unloadingthereof.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan sectional view taken at theline 4 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow; and

Figure 5, a bottom plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 4 andrepresenting the grab iron in section.

The construction of a flat car shown comprises, in accordance withcommon practice, the deck represented at 6 and supported on the metalside sills 'I and end sills 8, a step 9 secured to one of the side sillsadjacent one end of the car and a horizontal grab iron 'Ia secured toone end of a side sill 1 above the step 9, the hand operated brakeactuating mechanism with which the cars are provided being located onthe end sill 8 adja- 1935, Serial No. 18,948

cent the step 9 in such position that a trainman standing on the step 9may actuate the brake actuating mechanism with his right hand.

In accordance with the preferred illustrated embodiment of my inventioninvolving a grabiron mounted on the car and movable into and out ofoperative position as hereinafter stated, I provide the grab iron in theform of a round bar I provided with a head I I at its upper end and withpins I2 and I3 extending crosswise through the bar and projectingtherebeyond at opposite sides thereof as shown.

The bar Ill is vertically slidable and revoluble in guide means on thecar shown as comprising an upper bracket I4 and a lower bracket I5provided with vertically alined round openings therethrough and securedto the deck and one of theI side sills 'I, respectively.

The lower bracket I is provided in its upper side withdiametrically-opposed upwardly-opening notches I6 and contains lateraldiametrically opposed recesses II which open vertically therethrough andinto the opening through the bracket and occupied by the bar I0, therecesses I'I being shown as disposed at 90 angles tothe notches I6.

On the underside of the bracket I5 are diametrically opposed double facecams I8 disposed at 90 to the recesses I'I.

The bar I0 extends slidingly and Y rotatably through theV verticalopenings in the brackets I4 and I5 and in the lowered position of thebar, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, in which its upper endextends below the top surface of the deck 6, it rests at its head II onthe bracket I4, this position representing the one occupied by the barduring loading or unloading of the car.

To position the bar I0 to extend above the deck 6 to the desiredposition for functioning as a grab-iron, the operator grasping the barat the pin-portion I3, pushes upwardly on the bar, the projecting endsof the pin I2 in striking the cams I8 and riding upwardly along theirinclined surfaces causing the bar I0 to rotate into a position in whichthese projecting pin ends become vertically alined with the recesses I1, whereupon the operator continues upward thrust on the bar moving itto a position in which the ends of the pin I2 extend above the uppersurface of the bracket I5. Upon then rotating the bar to register theends of the pin I2 with the notches I6 and allowing the bar to lower theeither as an aid to the trainman in mounting the flat car or in theoperating with his one hand the hand operated brake actuating mechanismwhile holding on with the other hand.

To lower the bar from operative position to the lower, dotted, positionshown in Fig. 3 to remove obstruction thereby to the loading orunloading of the car, the operator lifts the bar I to remove the pin l2from the notches I6 and rotates the bar to aline the pin with therecesses IT whereupon he permits the bar to descend to the lowerposition. Y

While I have illustrated and described a particular constructionembodying my invention, I do not wish to be understood as intending tolimit it thereto as the same may be variously modified and alteredwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a flat car, the combination with its deck and step, of guide meanscomprising a member located adjacent said step and having an upwardlyextending opening, and a grab iron Slidable up and down in the openingin said member into and out of a position in which it projects abovesaid deck into operative position and rotatable in said member, andmeans for releasably holding said grab iron in raised positioncomprising a projection on said grab iron and an upwardly opening notchin said member adapted to receive said projection in the raised positionof said grab iron, said member containing a lateral recess communicatingwith said opening and disposed in a different position angularly aboutthe axis of said member than said notch and through which recess saidprojection is adapted to pass when in registration therewith, theunderside of said member having a cam engageable by said projection forautomatically rotating said grab iron, in the raising of the latter,toward a position in which said projection registers with said recess.

2. In a at car, the combination with its deck and step, of guide meanscomprising a member located adjacent said step and having an upwardlyextending opening, and a grab iron slidable up and down in the openingin said member into and out of a position in which it projects abovesaid deck into operative position and rotatable in said member, andmeans for releasably holding said grab iron in raised positioncomprising diametrically disposed projections on said grab iron andupwardly opening diametrically opposed notches in said member adapted toreceive said projections in the raised position of said grab iron, saidmember containing diametrically opposed lateral recesses communieatingwith said opening and disposed in different positions angularly aboutthe axis of said member than said notches and through which recessessaid projections are adapted to be passed when in registrationtherewith, the underside of said member having diametrioally opposedcams thereon engageable by said projections for automatically rotatingsaid grab iron, in the raising of the latter, toward a position in whichsaid projections register with said recesses.

AUGUSTUS F. KLASING.

